Xorg-config isn't yet, trying nVidia-nouveau, on a desktop machine...

Question

Ok, I'm newbie on 'Arch', but fairly seasoned on Debian-family (MEPIS,sidux), and on openSUSE.
Gotta admit, I am really LIKING this low-level installer, as a means to 'test' my Linux knowledge to date.
But, it's certainly a *slower* way to get KDE-4 running, by having to manually hack on all the individual
/etc/<yada>/yada.conf files using 'nano', rather than just boot a LiveCD all the way into run-level-5 in
one fell swoop, run a GUI-based installer, specify a username/password, and be running
KDE-4 20 minutes later!
But, I'm not complaining.
Let's see...where am I?
Got the basic (run-level-3) system installed to a hard-drive partition, using my existing /home partition.
[Had one small glitch to get ethernet to DHCP-acquire an IP-addr...had to "hook <some-conf?>", so
I could add 'nameserver 192.168.0.1' into 'resolv.conf' (or whatever it's name is) and get that to stick.
So, net-access works.  Was then able to do whatever else that basic-install manual said...told it to
configure me nVidia-nouveau, by creating the '20-nouveau.conf'.  Rebooted, as directed.  (Several times now.)
Tried 'Xorg -configure'.  It fails with:
1:  [drm] No DRICreatePCIBusID symbol.
2: Num created screens does not match num of detected devices.
EDIT: Oh, did read that I could grab an existing xorg.conf from another distro, but
that would be cheating, eh?
That's the one blocking getting to run-level-5.
I did 'jump ahead' and installed KDE-4, but of course, till I make Xorg happy, that's really not
gonna do me much good.
So, in addition to advice on configuring Xorg, one other 'forest-for-the-trees question':
  Is there a higher-level (GUI-based) approach to installing Arch, rather than using 'netinstall'?
(I did notice that other kit, recommended for 'people with unreliable networks', but that
didn't sound like me.)
TIA...
Last edited by cookdav (2010-12-03 23:11:04)

Answer 1

I agree with 'some like the control of cmd-line, to achieve non-default settings', but I'd argue that
doing the installation using a LiveCD like Chakra OUGHT to allow the 'same' choices and flexibility
that the cmd-line method does.
However, in my view, the 'cmd-line' approach seemed to leave out actually forcing (guiding the
user thru a script that causes 'sound' and 'wifi' pre-requisites to actually get installed)!  (The
'netcfg' package is a prime example.)  Instead, the user follows a written document (e.g. either
'basic' or 'complete' arch manuals, which mention subjects like 'sound' and 'wifi', but then do
NOT even detect presence of 'wifi-adapter' or 'sound' hardware, etc.  In other words, if
ANY wifi-hardware is detected, the 'netcfg' package should get installed, but clearly doesn't.
Rather, it relies on the person installing to somehow know/determine that they need to
manually install 'netcfg' (as well as then manually hunt-down their firmware, etc).
Whereas, the 'Chakra' (GUI) approach at least makes an attempt (e.g. causes 'netcfg' to
get installed transparently), easing the learning curve.
That said, the negative of the guided/GUI approach is that the person installing does NOT
then learn/understand precisely WHAT STEPS got executed for them, and thus learns very
little of what packages and what config-files need to be examined/modified to carry
out those various steps.  As I result, while I'm convinced that SUCCESSFUL 'arch' owners/users
become some of the most knowledgeable users in the details of Linux configuration,
I'm left wondering just what per-cent of newbies who first TRY Linux via 'arch',
end up succeeding with it, versus either giving up  on Linux or wandering off to some
other distro that has a more scripted/automated installer.
(i.e. an install-script/GUI that tries to get them up-and-running with minimal fuss, and allows them
to  LATER absorb the details,  via  future updates/maintenance glitches/issues.).
In other words, after my 5-10 years of Linux experience, I was surprised how much I had to
struggle, to get a working laptop-with-wifi installation.  In a word, I 'failed' the test that
arch provided me, and felt I had to resort to Chakra, to meet the other goal of getting
that laptop up-and-running with sound and wifi and xserver working.  But, maybe that's
just a reflection of our modern society's push into the "instant-gratification" direction?
Thanks to ALL who have participated in this thread, for their guidance!  As I mentioned,
I'm both humbled and more knowledgeable than I was when I started on the 'arch'
journey, just a few short days ago.
As I mentioned in the base-post, I came to 'arch' to LEARN something, and to TEST my
Linux knowledge,and I met those goals.  That said, I found it disconcerting that the manual(s)
that I read seemed to gloss over such fundamental things as not mentioning the
need to install 'netcfg' and not-resulting in some flavor of sound-support being put in place.
Last edited by cookdav (2010-12-07 14:50:22)